When fishing with a minnow or similar live bait, a number of problems frequently occur. Hooking the minnow through the roof of the mouth or lip to lip permits the minnow to maintain a normal swimming posture in the water, but provides a weak connection so that the minnow is often lost when casting or when the bait is pulled through weeds or debris in the water. A fish striking behind the hook may also occasionally tear the minnow free of the hook.
Hooking the minnow through the gills on the other hand, while improving the strength of the bait-hook link, causes the minnow to have a poor posture in the water. This is especially a problem as the bait nears death, which is often accelerated by gill damage done by the hook.